I made a hat.

I haven't made anything in a long time, and it felt so good to be crocheting again. I started on the fall hats for the kiddos and decided this time to make myself one first. I don't have a green hat so...now I do! And I'm sure the kids will steal it a ton too. I made this pattern myself which means it was fun, has lots of mistakes, and I enjoyed not having to look at a printout or follow rows--except the ones that were in my head.

After taking these pictures I have decided that it would look better without a pompom. 

Oh, it made me so happy to create something! 

Summer Break Week 7

I think this was the worst week of summer break. What could be worse than May's surprise miscarriage? My mom fell and thought she broke her foot. She waited a whole week to go to the hospital (because she's stubborn, on a retired income, and was sure it was just a sprain) but after not being able to put any weight on it all week she went. And was there basically the whole weekend laid up with her foot and other, more serious complications! I don't want to go into any more details of my mom's life without her permission (and I'm certainly not about to ask her for permission when she's in the middle of a crisis) but please remember her in your prayers this week. I trust God and I think she's going to be fine but I just got used to having her around more now that she's retired and I know we all will miss her so much since she most likely won't be able to visit with a hurt foot and health issues and with our extra babysitting kid in tow, I won't be making it out to her either. Change is hard and my kids are already asking when she is going to be coming over next! But she needs rest and clearly God thought so too since he allowed this to happen. His ways are good even when we don't understand it!

I had another family member texting me throughout this whole stressful process of mom-breaking-her-foot about how much a loser I was for not dropping off food or helping out. Granted this family member did not know I had a full time babysitting job this summer or had recently had a miscarriage. I'm also sure my mom would not want a toddler and a stranger in her house while she's hurt. I did make her soup and I froze it to bring it to her soon.

Everyone reacts differently to stress and trauma and it can bring out the worst in people. Remember that next time you are going through a hard time and let your every word be one of peace, mercy and kindness. 

Reuben is still doing PEMF and I am so thrilled about how he is progressing. He hasn't been sick and June was the first month in a long time he didn't catch something! I know it's summer but my poor Reuben catches the slightest cold and is sick for a week usually twice a month. So this is such a blessing. We have two more months of PEMF and I am hopeful to keep seeing improvements in his nose breathing and immunity. 

We had our regular piano lessons this week and also I had a cleaning day on Wednesday and I washed all the sheets! We did not make it out to any parks, I had one scheduled and no one wanted to go so I just skipped it. 

Here is what I cooked for dinners, all alpha gal free

• fish, veggies and rice
• basil pesto pasta salad
• nacho dip with corn chips and chicken
• chicken fried rice
• chickpea salads
• chicken chili

Charlotte is easily becoming a fixture into our day and both the kids love doing different things with her and they all play together wonderfully! This week they all ran outside and played in the rain (no thunder so it was safe) and they have some running/chasing game they play and it is wholesome to see them all the best of friends. We also love nature drawing and reading together and puzzles. 

One day this week Charlotte's dad, Jake, asked if I could watch her best friend Phoenix for the day and I said yes. It was fun to see Charlotte around someone she’s known for years and deeply loves and we all had a great time swimming and eating ramen and being silly. 

I hope everyone is making wonderful summer memories. 

I also finished crocheting my water bottle cover. I'm in a fiber art slump and I haven't started on any new projects since I finished my last sweater so it was nice to have something to make...I really don't know what to make next. Perhaps I should start working on the kids fall hats.

If you look at everything we did it was a great week but mostly I was worried about my mom and just trying to keep things normal for the kids. 

We ended the week with a weekend of painting, getting henna at the farmer's market (Esther did it too!) and swimming. Bonus picture of my salad because it was amazing. 

I am hoping next week does not hold any mystery illnesses, broken bones, surprise pregnancies or other catastrophes for any member of my close or extended family. Goodness, this summer is giving me a run for my bible in a way I probably needed in the mountains as well as the valleys...because God is my strength and I can't get through any of this without him. 

Today in church I was also sad to hear that Beth Bell's husband is in the hospital with a brain aneurism. Please pray for him too. Yes, I should know his name, but I don't and I will remedy that soon. I have seen the sweet Bell couple in my church, they are perhaps in their 50s or 60s--but I have exchanged maybe two or three words with the wife and none with the husband. 

They are lovely people though and sadly the prognosis does not look good. Everyone was glum about it. We prayed for them and got updates through the elders who were with them in the hospital on Saturday. 

No one is promised tomorrow. Remember that before you crab at your kids tomorrow! Remember that when you are angry about your husband's socks.

No one is promised tomorrow. 

Crochet Sunflower Sweater

I finished my crochet sunflower sweater. Yes, it was supposed to have arms but I got tired of making sunflowers and then I ran out of yellow yarn--this was stash busting project--so this is how it turned out! I love it. You can wear it with either side facing. 

Summer is so close. Three more weeks left and school will be mostly done for twoish months. We plan to do math over the summer and of course I want to keep up with free reads and devotions. But free time! I want to declutter all the things and scrub my cabinets. They sure need it. 

The kids have joined a karate class and they love it. It's awesome to see them thriving in something. Will we do it all summer? I am not sure. Right now it's just 8 weeks and after those weeks we will reevaluate. Today was their second lesson and it was fun to watch them participate in a class with other kids, laugh, play and be challenged. 

It's so nice to be able to go out and do things again and not need to lay down all the time or have headaches and chronic fatigue most of the day...and feel like I'm dying and wondering what is wrong with me...I'm still having problems here and there but for the most part I am living life again and thanking God every day. 

God is so good.

Crochet Sweater

I finished my crochet sweater and I love it. It's completely handmade and free-form, no pattern! Of course, I always seem to finish things right when spring blooms, but that's okay. It is still cold enough to get a lot of wear out of. 

This sweater was made from...my desire to make a sweater, obviously, but with no funds for yarn. So I pulled out all the bright colors I had and this is what happened! It took about a year to make. Through weeks of homeschooling and chronic illness and weaning (and gently sleep training) our baby...so many milestones are stitched into this garment.

That's what I see when I look at it--the past year, and all the past projects, of course. Becky's baby blanket is the one that sticks out the most, as it was pink and purple. It actually got ruined and thrown out so it's nice I have the bits of leftover yarn in this sweater to remind me of it. 

And I made a nice dent in my stash. I have too much yarn. And yet, surprisingly, not enough yarn.

Next I need to finish up this sunflower shirt/sweater I am making...I'm so close! I started on it around the same time as this one, and have been working on whatever one sparks my interest. The sunflower sweater was stumping me for a long time but it's time to power through and figure out how to join the flower granny squares I made. 

New Years

Today was our first full day back at school and it went so well.  I did math with Reuben, and we did all our scheduled Ambleside readings. I did not get to math with Becky because my mom came by to do the Barton Reading Program with her and we only do math on non-Barton days to keep it simple. She's doing so well with the Barton Reading Program even though I know it's such hard work. Dyslexia makes reading hard. I should know, I am also dyslexic. 

I bought these pompom sheets for Esther and she's loving them. Keeping Esther entertained during our school day is half the work! She's a busy toddler with tons of energy. We have play dough, these pom pom sheets, a "school only" play basket and various other distractions to throw at her during the day--it's a lot harder in winter because I can't just send her outside. I mean, I can, but even she doesn't last long (even in layers of clothes) in 32f temps without her fun big brother and sister to play with. 

Well, we made it through school and I made chocolate chip cookies for New Year's and they are so delicious! I can't believe the year is done and flown again and here we are staring 2026 in the face. I wonder what next year will bring? I really wanted to have a baby this year and I've been through all the emotions deciding that it wasn't going to happen, because it didn't happen. And realizing that my chronic illness is too severe to keep trying. I am placing that sadness in the hands of God and moving on with my three amazing blessings and new dreams will come, I am sure of it. 

While I did math with Reuben the girls made a "escape boat" and rescued all the stuffies. They played together nicely with a few interruptions but that's life. It's hard though when Reuben is in the middle of a timed math sheet and Becky rushes in with news of their impending doom on the high seas! I just had to smile through the shhhushing. 

The doll bonnet on Esther seals the deal. 

I make sandwiches on Wednesdays for lunch--and the kids got to pick from toasted cheese or PBJ. And I also made a side salad and hard boiled eggs. Esther ate like one bite of sandwich and one chocolate chip cookie but apparently that was enough for her all afternoon. Anyway, she took her hardboiled egg and made it into her baby, whom she named Mr. Eggy. Becky drew the face. Mr. Eggy had a short life of two hours before he was dropped and summarily consumed after three seconds of remorse. Being two is wild. 

We are doing well with the no-screen time until 6 or 7pm. I'm really proud of ourselves. I still want to work on reducing it. Screen time right before bed is not supposed to be healthy. We read more of Winter Holiday and did a lot of crochet. Reuben's glove is coming along amazingly. He made the entire glove by himself except I helped with the thumb gusset. 

It is amazing to see him grow and take off in ways that don't involve his mother. He can put away his own laundry, clean the bathroom, unload the dishwasher, and make simple meals all by himself (usually baking) and he does all his piano lessons by himself. He is always into something new and I'm glad he still wants to tell his mother about it. Reuben is such a gem, all my kids are. But as the eldest I get to see him grow up first!

I'm plinking away at two sweaters, both over half finished--and trying to doodle and get into watercolor painting, and keep up on reading all the books. I'm working through Harry Potter again with the new full cast audible recordings. They are so good! Highly recommend. Sometimes the volume in a few voices is irritating when they try to make people sound far away, but other than that I'm loving it. I just listened to Harry's first quidditch match and they had crowds of yelling and the sports announcer was just a whole vibe. It was very exciting, like listening to a real match!  

Tomorrow we have the day off school and I'm planning on resting, cleaning, and getting ready for Friday. Happy New Years! 

I'm down to nursing Esther only once a day, when she wakes up from her nap. We are so close to weaning. I'm so ready and she seems to be as well (there is no fussing when she asks to nurse and I say no. She happily accepts a glass of milk with a big pink straw in it or whatever juice or kombucha we have on hand!) but I am also sad because...she's probably my last baby and I worked so hard to nurse her after she was born with low tone and was unable to nurse for three months. I remember all those nights of pumping and feeding her with a syringe. What a journey! And a little bit of PTSD over how much weight she lost in the first 2 days before I figured out she wasn't nursing...oh, my mama heart! I'm so glad she's okay and I'm so glad I got to nurse her. God is good, even to this exhausted tired mama! 

January brings...me turning 39. Becky turning 8. Maybe some snow. Cognitive brain development for Reuben. Barton for Becky. Salads and chicken and a big azure order. A new governor for Virginia--democrat now instead of republican--and so many changes. I hope to meet them with my arms wide open and my eyes on heaven. God is good and he's made me for such a time as this.

Crochet Flower Bracelet

You Need

• worsted weight yarn
• 4.5mm crochet hook
• fingering yarn (for flower)
• 2.5mm crochet hook
• button (approximately .8 inches / 21mm) 

Cuff:

These are USA crochet terms. Using the worsted weight yarn and 4.5mm crochet hook, Ch 7.

I start each row with a starting double crochet st (see video) but you can also chain 2. For brevity I will put SDCS.

R1: sdcs, 6 dc (7sts)

R2: sdcs, ch 1, 1dc, ch 1, 1 dc, ch1, 1 dc (the ch1 count as a st, so skip a dc in the row below)

R3: sdcs, 6 dc. (one dc in the ch1 space, then one in the top of the previous round dc)

Repeat R2-3 until bracelet wraps around arm. For size 7-years old, I repeated it 5 more times. For a size medium adult, repeat 6 more times. It's very stretchy! You can stop on the end of row 2 as well for a smaller size.

When done, single crochet around the bracelet doing two single crochet stitches in each corner. I did two sc stitches per DC st on the side and 7 across the top and bottom. sl st into the first sc and ch1, break yarn leaving a long tail to sew on the button if you wish. 

Flower:

Using fingering yarn and a 2.5mm crochet hook, do 16 dc into a magic loop. sl st into the first dc.

R1: ch 6, and single crochet into the front post of the first DC. X3

repeat *ch 6, sc into front post of the next DC* three times in each DC around. 

Then your flower is done, and all that is left is to sew the flower on and the button, and wear. My daughter loves it! 

Sunflower Granny Square

This tutorial is for an easy sunflower granny square! It's a simple square I plan to turn into a cardigan when I make enough of them.

Written Pattern (made in rounds) I am using DK weight yarn and a 4.0mm crochet hook. 

R1: Using magic loop, ch 2. Do 11 Dc into the loop. Counts as 12 sts. Sl st and ch 1, break yarn.

R2: In between each DC, do 3DCtog (like a bobble st) ch 1. sl st and break yarn.

R3: In each ch 1, do 4 Dc.  sl st to first DC, do not break yarn

R4: 4 FPDC TOG, ch 4 in each petal around, sl st and ch1, break yarn

R5: working in the ch 4 spaces (3dc, ch 2, 3dc) (3hdc) (3hdc) around. end on a hdc, sl st to the nearest ch2 space

R6: (3dc, ch3, 3dc) (3dc) (3dc) (3dc) around. sl st, ch 1, break yarn. 

Hope you enjoy this tutorial!

hat for Reuben

Do you ever start crocheting with no plan in mind? Just to do something with your hands from boredom or idleness or because? That is how this hat started out with stash yarn and a 4.5mm hook. I love it! Reuben also loved it and snapped it up as soon as I was done with it. 

I have a few things I need to finish up but sometimes the only thing you want to do is start on something new.

Becky Cardigan

Finally getting around to taking some pictures of Becky, age 6, wearing the cardigan I crochet her! Isn't it cute? This is the Granny Hexagon Cardigan by Amytdesigns. I love it, very much, even if it was a LOT of repetition. It's done, she loves it, and I think it will fit her at 7 too!

Wearing

Just a bunch of pictures of Esther wearing things I made her. I can't keep up with Reuben (9) hardly at all anymore when we are outdoors, and with chasing the toddler I forget to take pictures of the older two often! Life.

Hats

Every fall I try to make my kids hats! Now I have three children! But I did it. I made each of them a hat!

I also need to make two stockings sometime. Reuben wants a new one (his was the first one I made and the colors were great for him as a toddler but he wants something different) and Esther of course needs one! 

We are doing well. And by well, I mean I am exhausted and overwhelmed and outnumbered and my house is a mess but we are a happy family and everyone is eating.

Whale Hat

 A creation for Becky. A whale hat! She has worn it EVERYWHERE! 

This is the whale hat crochet pattern by Hello Happy Crochet. We both love it and she has gotten so many complements when she isn't wearing it upside down! Tee-hee.

Hats for Squishes

I'm finally getting around to posting my 2021 Christmas knitting!  This hat I made for the little boy I babysit, and I also made one for his little sister. I hope he and she liked them!!!

The pattern I used was my own, and you can find it here. It's called "Fun Flappy Ear Hat" and is crochet with bulky yarn. Whee!

What are you guys making lately? I have too many works in progress!!!

Reuben's Hat

A hat for my Reuben. He loves it! It brings me great joy to make something for my children every year.

He picked the yarn, from hobby lobby and I made the hat. 

Gloves

I made these fun gloves for fall, in a sky blue marbled color. I love them!! They may look odd but trust me, they go with most of what I wear and I'm already a weird person. Yay for no more cold hands! 

A hat for me that Becky took

I crochet this hat from Hello Happy (its called the Slouchy Dahlia Hat) and as soon as I was finished Becky stole it. I'm sure I'll get it back before fall. 

Fall hasn't started yet here but I am getting excited about sweaters and wool and knitting. Love you all!

Becky Hat

I make my kids a hat every fall! And sometimes gloves too. It isn't fall yet, but I am trying to get ahead of things before they creep up on me. Usually I make up my own pattern, but this time I used Slouchy Snowfall Beanie by Hello Happy, whose patterns are my favorites. They are so cute!! 

I did not do the decreases, and it made "ears" on the hat! Becky loves it. Now I will make Reuben a hat!

I don't knit or crochet as much as I used to...homeschooling really takes a lot of time. But I am enjoying these years of educating my small children. Next week will be our second week of the 2021 school year. And, I still get to make a hat for Reuben!!

Fun Flappy Ear Hat (and some updates)

I haven't crochet or knit in a while, I've been learning the violin and it is love at first...shoulder rest? The violin is hard. I am determined. I've been playing watching the kids run around outside and averaging about 15 minutes a day of practice, the usual amount of free time I have. 

My husband has been working from home and using up all the internet. I can't use the internet while he is working and thus, I have not been using the internet (which is good for me) but also impacts making YouTube videos and patterns, since the design app uses the internet; not to mention uploading pictures and pdfs. Oh, well. This is a season and a wonderful one. We get to see him for lunch and his commute is short. I love a short commute. 

I did finish one pattern last month, a Fun Flappy Ear Hat for the Becky. She asked for a rainbow hat, and I also made a blue one for the little boy I babysit (modeled here by Reuben). The pattern is available for download for the low price of $5.99 USD and I hope to make a video tutorial of it some time, when I have the energy to film and edit and all that goes with creating. 

How are you all? I have a list of things to make next but I am also tired. 2021 is wonderful so far even if I am mourning a lot of changes both individually and as an American. God is good, and I will cling to that.